Category Archives: photojournalism

kipungani is a secluded, remote area of lamu island located on the southwest side, and separated from the mainland by a peaceful, mangrove lined bay. the beach is an endless stretch of white sand, speckled with palm trees and strewn with delicate sand dollars, facing out onto the indian ocean. traversing the 15 miles from either of the two main settlements on the island, lamu town or shela village, takes approximately 3 hours on foot, 1.5 hours by dhow (sail boat) or 25 minutes by speedboat.

for lu + jason’s wedding, guests flew in from nairobi and landed on the manda airstrip, just across the channel from lamu island, and traveled by speedboat to kizingoni beach. kipungani is a very small village, and kizingoni beach is a collection of privately owned, stunning swahili houses, with a full staff to accomodate guests and arrange meals, activities and excursions, as well as plan events + weddings.

guests flew in from all over the world to spend the week exploring the island with lusungu + jason — sailing, snorkeling, and soaking up swahili traditions. there were sumptuous swahili style meals, trips to lamu town, manda toto and the takwa ruins, a sunset dhow cruise, and even a henna ceremony for the ladies! lamu is simply a fantastic destination and an incredible setting for a wedding celebration! lu + jason absolutely love lamu, and it’s easy to see why…

having been in shela for the three preceding weeks, i jumped on a speedboat and joined the wedding party on the tuesday before the wedding. i loved being part of the week’s festivites and spending time getting to know lu + jason’s family + friends. i’m not sure i’ve ever encountered such a diverse, talented and truly brilliant group of people in one place before! it was a fascinating mix of international journalists, teachers, artists, UN workers, and authors…in fact, jason *just* published his book Dancing with Monsters — which details the political, social, and moral issues of the Congo, and is being hailed as an “impressively controlled account of the devastating Congo war.” incredible!

the wedding ceremony took place on the afternoon of november 27th at the mary mother of jesus catholic church in lamu town — followed by a brief stop in shela village for portraits, and back to kipungani by speedboat for a beach ceremony at sunset. following a series of wonderful speeches, poems, an even a song written by one of their good friends, guests reveled in a bonfire on the beach, dinner by candlelight, and dancing under the stars.

lusungu + jason :: CONGRATS! or more appropriately, in swahili, HONGERA! i adore you both and will cherish the memories of your wedding celebration always.

unkonda, thrilled to be back in shela, lamu island, kenya, laughs aboard felice.

i am so excited to announce that the above image was chosen to be included in WPOW’sannual photo exhibition “women by women.” i absolutely love this portrait (and the subject!) and i am so proud to see it on display this week in dc! unkonda is an incredible woman with an exuberant spirit and infectious energy. her magnificent laugh and broad smile are among her best features and just looking at this image makes me so happy! the photo was taken earlier this year off the coast of kenya, but unkonda is currently working with the peace corps in burkina faso. i miss her and her amazing laugh, but i am so proud of the work she is doing and count myself lucky to call her my friend.

the juried show features the work of some of dc’s most notable photographers and i am so honored to be among them! the images are on display during fotoweek at AYN studio in dc from 11/5 – 11/14, with the opening reception on tuesday november 9th. below in an excerpt from WPOW’s event pageand you can read more about the show is HERE.

“In association with FotoWeekDC, WPOW: Women Photojournalists of Washington is pleased to announce the opening reception on November 9, 2010 for our annual juried photo exhibition, “Women by Women.” The event is open to the public and a silent print auction will be part of the festivities, the proceeds of which will help WPOW continue our mission to educate the public about the work of women photojournalists. All 16×20 prints will be signed by the photographer.

this spectacular shore wedding was an all-out, 3-day celebration of love + elation with the most fun, energetic and amazing families i have ever met! i had the absolute best time documenting all of the excitement and emotion that surrounded this couple’s much anticipated nuptials!

i knew from the start that this wedding was going to be awesome – simply put, donna + brian are fantastic people who are totally in love with life and each other. we had an absolute blast at their marathon engagement session last year in philly, and i’ve been looking forward to their big day ever since!

the festivities kicked off with a spirited rehearsal, dinner & tiki bar deck party on friday, and continued throughout the day saturday in preparation for the late afternoon wedding. everything was held at the sea shell resorton long beach islandin beach haven, NJ. the ceremony was short + sweet, on their private beach, followed by super fun portraits by the ocean, a lavish cocktail hour, and a beautiful golden sunset.

not surprisingly, the reception was completely off the chain. the slippery band rocked it out, and donna took to the stage – a true rockstar bride! – and delighted her guests by singing! in fact her entire family has talent – her brother + sister-in-law both sang, her dad rocked out some lyrics and everyone else sang along from the crowd. there was no shortage of serious action on the dance floor all night long, a wildly entertaining mix of wedding reception/rock concert/dance off – LOVED it!

i really can’t say enough wonderful things about donna + brian, and am simply thrilled that the images totally ooze the incredible amount of happiness that filled the weekend! i am so grateful to have been a part of this celebration – what an honor to feel so elated, so enthused, and so blissfully happy for two great people who make a perfect couple!

congrats to donna + brian, who although currently honeymooning in hawaii, are *totally* reading this via their blackberries at this very moment! reason #437 why i LOVE them *SO* much!!

for the next few weeks i will be traveling throughout kenya — i’m incredibly excited to see the country and learn about the work and lives of some very interesting people. i prefer to travel as spontaneously as possible, so my plans are still tentative and flexible – i haven’t figured out the where/when/how of everything, but i am certain it will be an amazing adventure!

on the agenda: documenting social work in nairobi, education and culture on the island of lamu, and research on the game reserves. some serious sailing and a quick trip to zanzibar are also in the works, as is pretty much anything else that presents itself! i plan to bring back some fantastic stories and great images and can’t wait to share it all with you!

for the first time in years, i rang the new year in quietly and in anticipation of karin + ted’s wedding on january 2nd. i can’t imagine a better way to welcome 2010 than with a beautiful winter wedding in dc with one of the kindest, smartest, most loving couples ever.

karin + ted love living in dc, and really wanted their photographs to reflect the architecture + monuments of the city. so, on this severely cold (and extraordinarily windy!) day they boldly braved the wicked weather for portraits at the capitol building. it was the first time i’ve seen the capitol grounds deserted on a sunny saturday and the guards thought we were crazy – karen looked completely stunning (and not completely freezing) while, in fact, completely strapless. we ducked into union station to warm up, and then headed to st. peter’s church on capitol hill for the ceremony. st. peter’s is a gorgeous, light-filled church and their priest was so witty + hilarious! i was also thrilled to meet + work with the absolutely fabulous sara bauleke of bella notte, whose energy + organization kept everything moving smoothly!

it was an absolutely fantastic day and i loved spending so much time with karin + ted jumping in + out of the town car for photographs, and getting to know them better through the amazing speeches from their family + friends. into the night i watched as they danced wildly, laughed happily and never stopped smiling at each other…making their wedding the best new year’s celebration ever!

last night’s critical exposure fundraiser was a fantastic success! i was so excited to attend their fotoweek reception and was thrilled to be among the 40+ amazing photographers that contributed images to the silent auction. it was an inspiring evening and i was truly honored to speak to guests about my experiences working with the organization over the last year. critical exposure is amazing and i feel so lucky to be part of such an outstanding group of dedicated individuals that are making such a difference in the lives of dc students. enjoy this glimpse of the evening and check out the links below to learn more about the work critical exposure is doing and my experiences in the classroom!

wish you could have attended to support this incredible non-profit? no worries – click HERE to make a donation or EMAIL me about sponsorship opportunities :)

MLK photo student DeMarco did a great job speaking to guests!

LOVE that a soldier won the “bidding war” on the canvas i contributed to the auction – moody monument!

they made it official surrounded by their family + friends on the sandy shore at the chesapeake bay foundation – one of my favorite venues – in annapolis, maryland. it was a gorgeous afternoon (even though the wind was whipping around like mad!) and everyone had an amazing time watching this couple throughout the day’s celebration.

and what a celebration it was! mark hails from australia, where he and missy met and started dating, and his family brought the fabulous energy and charm you would expect from our good-natured neighbors down under. and i must say that the americans truly brought the funk – tearing up the dance floor to the righteous tunes of the wild rovers band. let me tell you – there is nothing better than an irish band wearing kilts at an australian/american wedding!

from the moment i met missy + mark i totally dug their vibe – relaxed, down to earth, and totally in love with each other – and i was thrilled that they chose me to document their day. i’m always so amazed and impressed when a bride + groom’s greatest concern is that their guests enjoy themselves and have a great time. i think that is so awesome and it was definitely important to missy + mark. i know everyone had a phenomenal time, and i have the photographs to prove it! from the ceremony + the champagne toast on the beach, to the cocktail hour on the deck and dinner overlooking the ocean and then the rockin’ dance party that followed, the day couldn’t have been any better!

missy + mark: i think the world of you both. your family + friends are amazing and i am so very happy for you! congrats and enjoy!

get your blonde on.

welcome! my name is jaime windon, i am the blonde photographer, and the world is my oyster.

my life is nothing less than a global roadshow - originally from washington, dc, i just returned from living + working in lamu island, kenya. i am currently based on the eastern shore of maryland, and travel incessantly to satisfy my wanderlust + to capture the best images possible.

i believe candid photography is the ultimate art, and my ideal subjects are people who are in love with life, with each other, and with the world around them.

my work is primarily focused on weddings, portraits, travel & documentary projects. i love a good story. have one you want me to tell? then email me with your request and any questions, comments, or concerns.